Safety appliance for elevators.



G. ROUSSEL.

SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16, 1911.

1,023,277, Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

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SAFETY APPLIANCE BOB. ELEVATORS. APPLICATION I'ILED MAY 16, 1911.

1,023,277. 7 Patented'Apr.16,1912.

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g :27 ire 2 F I W I I ml ll llllm 'ms AT ,1 GEHMAIH ROUSSEL TUB-HEY COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH CO.,WASHINOTON, D. C.

GERMAIN RoUssEL, OF FLOREFFE, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR ELEVATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A r. 16. 1912.

Application filed May 16, 1911. Serial in. 627,392.

T all whom it may cbmm.-

Be it known that I, GER AIN RoUssEL, citizen of the Republic of France, residing at Florefie, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Appliances for Elevators of which the following is a specification. v

The present invention relates to an im proved safety appliance for elevators.

The object of the invention is the provision of. means for stopping the des cent and preventingfalling of an. elevator car in the event of breaking of the suspending and operating ropes; thus avoiding injury to the occupants of a passenger elevator can. or damage to. the contents of a freight elevator, and the consequent loss bydamaged mechanisin and machinery attendant upon such an accident. 1 v I v The .inventionconsists in equipping an elevator with guide beams, which under normal conditions will perform the functions for which they are intended, and which under abnormal conditions as above referred to, will act to jam and wedge the elevator into an immovable position. -And the invention further consists inv certain novel features of construction for holding the guide beams in normal position against displacement, until called upon to perform their accident-preventing functions. In, the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one example of thephysical embodiment of my invention constructed accordto the best mode I have so far devised for the practical application of the princiles. t Figure 1 illustratesan elevator and its operating mechanism equipped with my novel safety appliance. Fig. 2,1'san enlarged detail view of the construction at the top of one. of the elevator guide beams. Fig. 3 isa sectional view of Fig. 1, taken at right angles to said view. Fig. 4; isa detail view of a device for preventing outward displacement of the guide beams. Fig. 5 is a horiz ontal sectional viewof Fig. 4E looking.down-.

. wardly. ,Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of the lowerend of one of the guide beams and connections. p In the preferred form of embodiment of my invention the car 1; issuspended by means f Q rop fl and .b r p s b g a tached to the cage at 4. The rope 2 is the operating rope; and is. passed over-the pulley 5 on beam 6, the iininovably supported pulley 7, and drive pulley or drum S, the latter being supported upon the powershaft 9. Frointhe pulleyordrum 8 said rope passes around the pulley 10, and is attached at 1.1 to the underside or bottom. of the ,carl. The rope 3 is the counterbalanoingrope. This repels .passedover thepulley which is supported on thelcross beain lstt ence over. the pulley .145 and the oounterweights at the end, of the rope areguided the ehannel. 16. by It is thus apparent that th e car maybe. raised and lowered as usual by powerapplied to th e shaft-Q. and the action ofthe .counterweights ,isthe same as in standard devices ofthis charaotei, I The beam .l3 af the' f pp ndofthe ele- VatOi shaft oi: well is, statlonary a nently located.-

beam .6; which located directly above the beam is suspended and held at its lowest position by means o f the pairof yokes 17 which'are U-shape and ported on the immovable beam 18. A pair of coiled springs 19, of suflicient strength for t r posa i .i esi se fiet e t e as? supporting. beam. ,6 and 1 the permanent beam 13, and these springs are heldunderotension by the weight of the car, the latterbeing sli ported bythe ro pe 2 ,which passes over t e pulley 5 on thebeain From this construe: tion it will be understood the beam 6 suspendedand held; by means of theyokes 7, nd. thatthe weight .ofthecar holds the springs incompressed position.v

The springs 19vare the actu ti elements for the safety appliance, The safety appliance com-prisesa pair of guidebe a ms and 21 located centrally of the elevator and at either;side thereof andwhich project into guide slots in the upper and lower guide bars 22 and 23 of. the elevator cag e. In Fig. l the, guide beams and 21, are, illustrated in their normal positions and the car is. free to I move in ascending .de-, scend ing being, guided by the beams .as usual; The beamsare. supported onnth e sta; tionary crossbar 24, which is located atthe bottom of the elevator well or pit, a

wheel or, roller 25 j o,urnaled in the lower nd of h be i sec n p i of o l: ers .26, located at .the} upper ends of beams, bear against, the stationary, beam slotted or grooved (see 3) at 27 for confining the rollers and guiding their move ment. As will be apparent, these beams 20 and 21 are movable, and to prevent their displacement in an outward direction, I provide a series oflocking latches 28, each pivoted at 29 to either of the beams 20 or 21, and having their free ends resting in slots or depressions 30 in the upright standards 16 and 31. It will be noted that the two uppermost latches 32 are pivoted at 33 to the respective standards 16 and 31.

To prevent the unintentional inward movement and displacement .of the guide beams 20 and 21, I provide a pair of'locking levers 34 and 35 at the lower end of the These levers are pivoted beams 20 and 21. respectively at 36 and 37 on the bar 38, and their free ends 39 engage in recesses 40 on the guide bars 20 and 21. A second pair of levers 42, are pivoted at 43 to .the bar 13 and their free ends are engaged in similar recesses 40. Each of the levers is held in place by a spring 41, which is attached at its ends to a lever and oneend of the guide beam 20 or 21. In this manner the guide beams 20 and 21 are braced at either side and held in normal position by the latches 28 and levers 34, 35 and 42.

The safety appliance is actuated by the breaking of rope 2 in manner as follows. A pair of duplicate ropes 44, are attached one at each end of the cross bar 6. These ropes, which may be termed safety ropes, extend down the entire distance of the elevator shaft or well, and at the bottom of the pit pass under the oppositely disposed pulleys 45 to the respective levers 34 and 35, one being attached to each lever. An idle pulley 46 is provided for one of the ropes, said pulley being supported on the bar 24. The ropes 44 for convenience of location and operation, are passed through slots 47 in the series of locking latches 28, and are attached to the levers 34 and 35 -at points 48, which are formed as attaching eyes. A second pair of safety ropes 49 are attached to and suspended from the bar 6, and each of these ropes passes around a pulley 50 .on the bar 13, and is attached at 51 to one of the, levers 42.

Now assuming the car to be in position shown in Fig. 1, should rope 2 break, the elevator cage starts to drop. Simultaneously with the breaking of the rope, the bar 6, which has been held down by the weight of the elevator, as described, is lifted upwardly by the springs 19 which have been freed as the weight is taken off the bar 6. The upward lift of bar 6 pulls upon the ropes 44 and 49. The ropes 49 pull on the levers 42 and disengage them from the notches 40, and the ropes '44 draw their respective levers 34 and 35 from engagement with the notches 40 in the beams 20 and 21, the continued pull on the two pairs of ropes through the elements 41 (which may be connecting links if desired) draws the beams 20 and 21 toward each other. The beams travel on their rollers, in the grooves as described, and clamp the car between them, thusfrictionally holding the car in place, and preventing its descent.

An additional safety featureis provided by the levers 52 carried on the elevator car. These levers are adapted to engage the cross bars or studs 53 on the guide beams 20, 21,

and hold the elevator car, in addition to its frictional engagement with the beams,while the ropes are being mended. The levers 52 have attached to their weighted ends 54, draw rods 55, and by means of the draw rods, to which is attached the rope 2, the levers 52 are held to travel in a path, out of engagement with thestuds 53. But when the rope 2 breaks, the draw rods are freed, and the weighted ends 54 of the levers are forced downwardly while the ends 52 are forced out and upwardly in position to engage the neXt lower stud 53. As a warning signal, in case of accident, the bell 55 may be rung as it is struck by the arms 56 on the draw rods 55.

From the above description, taken in connection with the drawings, it is believed the merits and advantages of my invention will be apparent, and it is evident that I have provided a safety appliance for elevators which will perform thefunctions of a per: fect mechanism for thepurpose. I

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent'is: r 1

1. The combination with an elevator car and its operating mechanism, of apair of movable guide beams, stationary standards, means connected'to said beams and engaging said standards for'preventing outward lateral movement of the beams, and means for holding said-beams against inward lat-. eral movement.

2. The combination with an elevator car and its operating mechanism and an upper and lower stationary bar, of a pair of bodily movable guide beams, rollers at the ends of said beams engaging said bars, means for holding said beams against inward lateral movement, and means actuated by the disarrangement of the operating mechanism for releasing the holding means and drawing said beams into frictional contact with the elevator car.

3. The combination with an elevator car, its operating mechanism, a pair of stand-- ards, and. an upper and lower stationary bar, of a pair of bodily movable guide beams, rollers at the ends of said beams engaging said, bars, means on theguide bars engaging said standards to prevent out ward lateral movement of the beams, means for locking the beams against inward lat eral movement, and means actuated by the disarrangement of the operating mechanism for unlocking said means and drawing the beams into frictional engagement with the elevator car.

4. The combination with an elevator car, a stationary support, a movable support held under tension, and a movable guide beam, of a device for locking the beam against inward lateral movement comprising a pivoted locking lever having yielding connection with said beam and positively engaging the beam, and a connection from said lever to the movable support whereby movement of said support disengages said lever from said guide beam.

5. The combination with an elevator car and a movable support therefor held against tension, of a stationary standard, and a movable guide beam, anti-friction rollers at each end of said beam, cross bars forming tracks for said rollers, and locking latches pivoted on said guide beam engaging the standard, upper and lower pivoted locking levers engaging said beam, and separate connections from each locking lever to the movable support, whereby upward movement of the support pulls said beam inwardly.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GERMAIN ROUSSEL.

Witnesses:

W. A. HIRTLE, R. B. WHITING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

